Waldo a



I (No M d l. 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

W. A. LOUD.

LAWN MOWER.-

No. 319,827. Patented June 9, 1885.

ATTORNEY N, PETERS. PhnbLrthngnphar. Washingion, D. C-

2 Sheets-Sheet 2. W. A. LOUD.

(No Model.)

LAWN MOWER.

Patented June 9, 1885.

INVENTOR (l/(Za 821504 C BY z/adg WITNESSES ATTORNEY N. PETERS, Phulo-L'rlhugnphcr. Washingtnn; n. c.

"' ATES XVALDO A. LOUD, OF SPRlNGFIELD,

ATENT FFEQEG BLAIR MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

LAWN-MOWER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 319,827, dated June 9, 1885.

Application filed July 28, 1884. (No model) zen of the United States, residing at Springi field, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Lawn-Mowers, of which the.

l responding in diameter and length to the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in lawn-mowers; and my invention consists of improved means of attaching the handles to the body of the machine, whereby they may I be adj ustably secured at different angles, and j of improved supporting-wheels and their having a shank projecting through the prong D, and adapted to he slid therein to and from 65- axle.

My invention is fully illustrated in the ac companying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation in perspective of one side of a machine having my improvements. a perspective view of a part of the handle of my improved machine. Fig. 3 is a plan view in detail of the point of attachment of the handle. Fig. 4 is a detail view in section, showing the means for adjusting one end of the knife-bar. Fig. 5 is a detail of a part of the knife-bar-adjusting mechanism. Fig. 6 is 'a detail of a part of the handle-adjusting mechanism. Fig. 7 is an elevation of the reverse of the end of the machine shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 8 is a detail view of part of a truckarm, and Fig. 9 is a longitudinal section of the drum.

B is one of the two socket-pieces located 1' upon opposite sides ofthe frame, and in which one prong of the bifurcated handle 0 is secured. As said socket-pieces and end or side frames to the machine are counterparts, it is deemed sufficient to show and describe one.

The socket-piece B consists of a centrallydisposed round socket-lug, I), set off from a disk side, 0, a rim, d, provided with sockets upon the perimeter of disk 0, and having its side face in the same plane with the face of lug 1), two abutmcnts, e e, upon opposite ends of the socket-rim d, and asemicircular socket 5 f, having one wall flush with the face of rim (Z,

and its other wall removed therefrom a distance corresponding to the thickness of the end of the handle 0. The rim (1 has a radial opening, (2, centrally disposed to the rim, and the lug b is divided by an opening, I),

Fig. 2 is equal in diameter to and in prolongation of opening (1 in rim d. The opening I) is reduced from below the center of disk 0 to bisect the lug Z) by the opening I).

A prong, D, of handle 0 is provided upon one face with a permanent stud, g, nearly cor- Width and depth of rim d and lug b, with a fixed stud, g, nearly corresponding in diameter to opening I), and to the interval between 6o the circular wall of lug I) and the adjacent edges of socket f, and with a movable stud, 9, equal indimensions to the one g, and

stud g and secured to the prongD by a clamp nut.

The prong D and socket B, constructed as shown and described, are combined by having the prong D slid to have its studs 9 g, and g pass through openingd, to have the stud 9 pass through opening I) and rest in the space between the lug b and the edge of the socket f, to have. stud 9 rest in the bearings formed in lug b by the reduction of opening b, to have stud g rest in the space between the lug b and socketrim d, and to have its extreme end received in socket f, while one face bears against the corresponding faces of the rim d and lug b. \Vhen so in place, the han- 8O dle O is swung upon stud g as a center, to take the angle required upon I either side of a perpendicular, and the movable stud g is slid to fill the semicircular socket in rim d coming opposite to said stud, and is then clamped 5 in said .position to lockthe handle from any rotation independent of the machine. The handle 0, so combined with the socket B, has its prongs held from separation by the socket f, while the studs 9, g, and 9 all bear against 9 parts of the solid socket, to resist any move ment of the handles through a thrust or pulling strain upon the same.

E is one wheel of a lawn-mower hung upon the dependent end of an arm, F, adapted to be adjustable upon the frame side NV in an arc of a circle having the axis of the knifejournal as its center. The upper end of arm F is of a segmental form, and conforming to the outer edge of said curved arm is a rim, 2,

upon the frame side. Corresponding faces of arm F and the side of the frame are corrugated to form a biting-surface, and a curved slot in either the arm F or through the frame, in combination with a clamping-bolt, j, and nut k, affixed to the other, serve to hold the arm F in any position. The arm F, held against the rim 1' and clamped against the side of the frame, securely holds the wheel E in any position in which it may be set, and when it is desired to change the elevation of the knife-bar G from the surface of the ground the arm of the wheel is quickly adjusted to make such change.

The knife-bar G is shown provided upon its ends with flanges m, coming against the inner sides, W, of the machine. flanges m the knifebar is prolonged to have squared ends it. These ends are received in corresponding vertical slots, 0, in the side W, and are adapted to move therein, to be held at any point of adjustment, as follows: The slot 0 is deeper than the Vertical thickness of the squared ends a, and a screw-bolt, 13, passing vertically and loosely through end n, incloses said end between a collar, 0", rigidly fixed upon said bolt, and a check-nut, 3, upon its other end. The inner end of bolt 1; has a screw-socket provided for it in the wall of the slot 0 above it, with room, as seen in Fig. 4, above its end to permit the collar 1" to come against the end of slot 0 at the extreme limit of its upward movement. The knife-bar endhus inclosed between nut s and fixed collar r, is, by the rotation of bolt 1), when the checknut is released, nicely adjusted to the cuttingedges of the knives, and held so by the check-nut; and instead of being adjusted by mechanism tending to tear away the knife-bar from its supportsuch as is in common use in the oscillating knife-barthe adjusting means in this case has only to raise and lower the knife-bar in a straight line to keep its edge and curved surface, as shown in Fig. 7, in the same relative position to the cutting-edges.

The journal-bearings S are illustrated by the one shown in Fig. 7, in which a three-part bearing is formed for the knife-arbor T by a thick case or shell, S, slotted longitudinally and parallel to the journal, to receive gibst 25, inserted endwise in said slots, and adapted, by screws extending radially to the journalaxis through the thick wall of the shell to its outside, to be moved radially to the journal to take up all wear upon its surface. By means of the solid shell S and movable gibs, so arranged, a strong bearing is formed, incapable of becoming easily deranged or loose.

My improved supporting wheels and axle are illustrated in Fig. 9, in which a rod, V, forming an axis for the wheels H, having means, as :0, for securing it to the sides of the machine, and forming a bearing for any ratch- Outside of these fastening for the handles of lawn-mowers,

consisting of a disk, 0, provided upon the upper part of its perimeter with a socket-rim, (1, upon the lower part of its perimeter with a socket, f, having an opening, d, in its socketrim, and a centrally-disposed lug, I), having an opening, I), in prolongation of opening d, and bisecting lug I), having a reduced portion, 1)", and one prong, D, of a forked handle having upon one side three aligned studs and an end projecting therefrom, and adapted, substantially as shown, to have its end rest in the socket f, its stud side bear upon the faces of the stud b and' rim d, its stud 9 have a journal in lug 22,. its stud g bear between the opposite walls of socket f and lug b, and adapted to have its stud 9 move in the space between the rim d and lug b, and having means for moving said stud into a socket in rim (1 and for clamping it therein to the prong D.

2. The combination, substantially as shown, of a socket-piece, B, consisting of a socket-rim, d, socket f, opposite abutments, e e, separating rim d and socket f, and forming opposite bearing-surfaces at the same time for opposite edges of-a fork-prong, D, journaled between said abutments, and arranged to have its end bear upon either of them, and a two-part lug, b, with the prong D of a handle, 0, having the studs g, g, and g relatively arranged, as shown, and having. means for moving stud g and clamping it to the prong D and in a socket of the rim d.

3. The within described improved supporting wheels and axle for lawn-mowers, consisting of a journal-rod, V, a tube, I, in two sections, and three wheels, H, provided with journal-bearings for rod V, and with. screwhubs adapted to screw into the ends of said tube-sections, all arranged, substantially as shown, to have the rod V extend through the WALDO A. LOUD.

Witnesses:

R. F. HYDE, J. D. GARFIELD. 

